This morning I was Neumann-ed

Scott Griggs

This morning I found a Dave Neumann sign in my front yard. Neumann is the Dallas City Council incumbent in District 3 running for re-election.

Because I cover election races, I put no signs in my yard or bumper stickers on my car and I make no public endorsements.

Over the past few weeks, neighbors told me that they received notices from the Neumann campaign that said that they would place a sign in their yard unless the campaign was told otherwise.

Several weeks ago, Neumann signs popped up all over my neighborhood. Over the next week, Scott Griggs signs replaced many of those Neumann signs. Griggs is challenging Neumann for the seat.

Steven Schenck of the Griggs campaign said that’s happening all over the district. He said the term coined by others in the district is “to have been Neumann-ed.”

He said the Griggs campaign has gotten a number of angry calls from people who discovered Neumann signs in their yards and asked for Griggs signs to replace them.

Some yards, especially on busy streets, have both Neumann and Griggs signs. Schenck said that’s probably because some homeowners might think that the campaign has a right to place the signs on their property near the curb.

Schenck called Neumann’s campaign tactic unfortunate and even wondered if it’s legal.

Griggs was endorsed by both Stonewall Democrats and Dallas Gay and Lesbian Alliance in one of the few endorsements the two groups agreed on. He is also the only challenger to an incumbent the Dallas Morning News endorsed.